Chapter 3: The Darkest Depths of Human Nature

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Walking through the narrow alley, Wang Ji finally understood that X System energy points could be obtained from the corpses of aberrant creatures, but only by approaching within three meters after delivering the kill. So far, he had collected fifteen energy points, having materialized ten rounds of ammunition along the way at the cost of one point. Including the two points he’d just gained, his remaining balance was now fourteen.

The strength he possessed before undergoing the system’s training left Wang Ji feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Skills that had become second nature in the spatial domain could now only be executed at sixty percent of their former proficiency in reality.

Wasting no time, Wang Ji opened the X System and checked his own stats.

Host: Wang Ji
Strength: 8
Spirit: 11
Agility: 7
Stamina: 33/100
Status: Good, minor injury to left arm, estimated recovery time: three hours.

These were his current physical attributes. A strength score of eight indicated less than average, a sign of insufficient regular training. Agility was also below par, with only his spirit slightly above the common standard.

After reviewing his stats, Wang Ji immediately accessed the materialization menu. Among its categories was a logistics section, offering medical supplies, training equipment, civilian vehicles, and so forth.

Ignoring the dazzling array of options, Wang Ji’s gaze fixed directly upon the recovery items.

Ace Chocolate Beans: Materialization cost, one energy point; time, one second. Contains ten chocolate beans for rapid stamina recovery. Note: Rumored to be the best way to trick little girls!

Basic Strength Capsule: Requires ten energy points, one minute to materialize. Increases strength slightly upon ingestion, with the first use offering the greatest effect; repeated use leads to diminished returns due to tolerance. Note: This is not a magic vitality pill!

Basic Spirit Capsule: Requires ten energy points, one minute to materialize. Slightly increases spirit upon ingestion, initial use most effective; repeated use reduces efficacy. Note: Beware, abusing medication is hazardous to health!

Basic Agility Capsule: Requires ten energy points, one minute to materialize. Slightly boosts agility upon ingestion, greatest effect at first use, with efficacy dropping due to tolerance upon repeated consumption. Note: Speed is not always a good thing!

“The system is truly powerful!” Wang Ji smiled faintly, materializing the chocolate beans and a basic strength capsule, leaving three energy points in reserve for emergencies.

After swallowing the tiny capsule, a warm current surged from his abdomen, coursing through his limbs. Once he felt the medicine take effect, Wang Ji quickly checked his stats again.

Host: Wang Ji
Strength: 11
Spirit: 11
Agility: 7
Stamina: 33/100
Status: Good, left arm recovering, estimated recovery time: two hours.

His strength had risen to eleven. This increase not only enhanced his power, but also accelerated his recovery—a clear benefit of improved constitution.

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Clenching his fist to feel the sudden surge of strength, Wang Ji popped a chocolate bean to restore his stamina to full, then strode confidently toward the bank.

Concealed by the darkness, he smoothly slipped to a corner near the bank on West Street. It was the dead of night, and the entire town was still in chaos. From the direction of the police station, gunshots and explosions sounded continuously—clearly, the police task force had launched their operation.

Using the night-vision function of his goggles, Wang Ji darted to a parked car, then, taking advantage of the shadows, dashed across the road toward the bank.

He was about to cross the street when a shrill female voice rang out from the second floor of the bank building. “Help me! Please, save me! I know Mayor Liu! My father is a leader in the F City military district! If you save me, you’ll be handsomely rewarded!”

The woman’s voice was particularly piercing, causing Wang Ji to pause mid-step, his heart skipping a beat. He turned to locate the source.

Standing at a second-floor window was a heavily made-up but still attractive woman, though she appeared close to forty, her makeup only partially masking the looseness of her skin and the lines of age. She was frantically waving to Wang Ji below.

Beside her, a well-dressed, burly middle-aged man tugged at her, whispering for her to keep quiet lest they attract attention.

Wang Ji hesitated for two seconds, then quickly decided to move on. Twenty years of lonely existence at the bottom rung of society had taught him the harsh realities of life. He harbored a deep resentment for these privileged types who usually threw their weight around.

But as he was about to leave, the heavily made-up woman began hurling insults about cowards and deserters, even threatening execution.

She then bent down, grabbed something, and hurled it out the window in Wang Ji’s direction. With a clang, it struck a car on the street—a high-heeled shoe.

The shoe missed Wang Ji, but the noise was loud enough to attract the attention of aberrant creatures dozens of meters away on the other side of the bank.

“Damn!”

Two mutant dogs turned and locked onto Wang Ji, then lunged at him, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.

Without hesitation, Wang Ji crouched, raised his pistol, and squeezed the trigger. The bullets, hot and spinning, drilled into the mutant dogs’ open mouths, pulverizing their brains.

With a whimper, both beasts collapsed and twitched violently on the ground. Wang Ji gained three more energy points.

There was no time to relax. From the pack nearby, another furious howl erupted, and four more mutant dogs turned and charged at the exposed Wang Ji.

He didn’t retreat. Calculating the distance between himself and the oncoming dogs, he emptied a magazine in rapid succession, managing to kill only two.

Then, rolling to the side, he whipped out his combat knife and, in one fluid motion, lopped off half the head of another mutant dog.

The last dog lunged at him. Wang Ji only had time to raise his left arm, using his arm guard to block the beast’s fangs.

The mutant dog’s powerful jaws made Wang Ji’s face turn pale. Had he not just increased his strength, his left arm would have been broken by now. The harrowing scene drew gasps from the onlookers upstairs, who quickly ducked behind the window, not daring to show themselves.

“Get off!” Wang Ji barked, slamming his knee into the mutant dog’s belly. The creature howled in pain, loosening its grip.

Wang Ji closed in, his knife flashing white as he deftly sliced off the dog’s leg, then pinned it sideways and stabbed it in the eye, twisting violently. The dog instantly went limp.

In less than a minute, all six mutant dogs had been dispatched by Wang Ji, netting him eleven energy points, though he’d burned through over ten points of stamina in the process.

Getting to his feet, Wang Ji grimaced at his left arm—the arm guard bore deep indentations that sent a cold sweat down his spine. Fortunately, the system-issued gear had held up; otherwise, his arm would have been lost.

Suddenly, another furious roar echoed from the end of the street. A wolf, half as tall as a man and radiating menace, slowly emerged. A fresh wound ran across its left eye, blood streaming down its face, its front paws soaked in gore—it had clearly just finished a kill.

Several mutant dogs prowled restlessly at its side, baring their teeth and drooling.

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The mutant wolf, seeing Wang Ji dispatching several of its underlings, glared at him with cruel, emerald eyes. With a furious snarl, it led the remaining mutants in a lightning-fast charge toward Wang Ji.

“Watch out!” a booming male voice called from inside the bank, followed by two gunshots, neither of which hit their mark.

Without hesitation, Wang Ji turned and sprinted toward the bank. Lacking any tactical advantage, only a fool would choose to stand and fight.

Inside, chaos reigned. Wang Ji took in the scene at a glance and rushed toward the stairway. There, a steel gate blocked the way, with several figures behind it.

The mutant wolf had already reached the bank’s entrance. Wang Ji didn’t dare waste a second. He lunged forward and shouted, “Open the door!”

“No! Don’t—those monsters are coming!” shrieked the woman with the piercing voice.

“Move! Open up!” the man who’d shouted earlier sounded desperate.

Wang Ji’s face darkened. In mere seconds, the mutant wolf would be upon him. He had no intention of waiting for death. He pressed his back against the steel gate, swapped magazines, gripping his knife in one hand and his pistol in the other.

He glanced around, then quickly dragged two tables to the corridor’s entrance to form barricades. As he finished, the mutant wolf appeared before him.

Two shots rang out, striking the beast’s back and left leg, opening bloody wounds and making its green eyes flare with greater malice.

With a roar, the wolf leaped high, pouncing at Wang Ji, its white fangs gleaming like a forest of blades. Wang Ji frowned and rolled backward to avoid its assault.

With a crash, the wolf landed in the corridor, its claws gouging deep into the floorboards. From downstairs, the sound of the mutant dogs echoed up.

Wang Ji regained his footing and fired again.

The wolf, seeing Wang Ji retreat, lunged forward with lightning speed. Wang Ji could even smell the stench of blood on its breath.

A bullet struck its chest, but the beast was already upon him.

In a split-second decision, Wang Ji ducked in close, bracing himself against the wolf’s chest with his shoulder to absorb the impact.

With a sickening crunch, the wolf slammed him to the ground. Wang Ji’s back hit the concrete floor hard, his chest tightening as blood trickled from his lips—he’d suffered internal injuries. The wolf’s claws tore through his arm guard, leaving his shoulder a bloody mess.

The wolf raised its head to bite Wang Ji’s face. He thrust his right arm up, jamming it into the beast’s maw. The system-issued commander-grade combat suit did not disappoint—the wolf’s razor-sharp teeth failed to pierce the elbow guard, though the pain and urgency made Wang Ji react instantly.

With his left hand, he drove the combat knife deep into the wolf’s flank. Though these mutants had grown stronger and more agile, their natural weaknesses remained.

As the saying goes, a wolf’s head is iron, its tail steel, but its waist is soft as tofu. The titanium-alloy blade slid in effortlessly, hot blood gushing out over Wang Ji.

The wolf snarled in agony, its eyes filled with even greater savagery as it tore at Wang Ji. But Wang Ji knew he could not relent for a second—shielding his face with his right arm, he twisted the knife deeper with his left, widening the wound.

Seconds ticked by. By the time the mutant dogs had rushed up from the first floor, the corridor battle was over. They found their leader slumped before the steel gate, blood pooling everywhere, and let out uneasy howls.